THE Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) has urged companies to grant employees paid time off to enable them to vote on polling day.

MEF president Syed Hussain Syed Husman said this would apply to employers who observe November 19 as a working day or have a rota or shift system in place.

“Employees who are registered voters and scheduled to work during the day on 12-hour shifts should be given reasonable time off to cast their votes on polling day which falls on November 19,” he said in a statement today.

Syed Hussain also said there is no requirement for employers that observe November 19 as a rest day to provide additional time off.

He explained that there may be occasions where an employee needs to cast his/her vote at an outstation polling centre and November 19 is a normal working day for the said employee, hence, it is reasonable for the company to require such an employee to apply for annual leave/unpaid leave for the said purpose.

Syed Hussain added that reasonable time off should also be granted to employees to enable them to cast their postal votes on November 15, 2022, which is the day designated for early voting.

He viewed it as a fair and reasonable obligation imposed on employers to ensure that all employees are accorded a reasonable opportunity to vote. – Bernama, October 21, 2022.